dusk
by Hawkear-Shadowclan
Summary: warrior cats in a new era, seen from the point of veiw of mapleflame, a cat who has seen her entire clan perish in front of her. read for a unique experience in the world of warriors.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors note: i do not own warrior cats. enjoy my book, and look out for great fanfic authors like love-evil-always-vampire, deathbringer88, and tubendo. enjoy!**

_chapter 1_

Magpiestar looked up. a flame- coloured streak was racing across the thunderclan border, towards shadowclan. She stood. The shape resembled firestar, leader of then, just as suddenly, two thunderclan warriors came out chasing the streak. it couldn't be Firstar. It leapt over the river that marked the boundary. The flame-cat dropped something on the forest floor, and collapsed.  
Magpiestar raced over and approached the cat warily. The cat looks up, desperation clearly portrayed in her eyes. 'what's your name and what are you doing here?' Magpiestar hated to question a cat in this state, but she was in shadowclan territory. The cat looked up again. 'mapleflame' she croaked. Magpiestar certainly wasn't expecting that. 'what clan are you from? Not thunderclan, I don't think. I don't recognise your scent.' She shook her head and sat up. ' we are, … were the group nearest to you, on the other side of the mountains. I was in lightningclan.' Mapleflame replied. Magpiestar was unnerved. ' you travelled all that way? Did you desert your clan?' mapleflame staggered up, fur bristling with shock. 'never!' came the agitated reply. 'I would never desert my clan!'

'what happened then? How are you here?' she sat down, limp again 'all four clans were destroyed by a large group of bears. There were only a few survivors. so far, I only know of three survivors from our clan. '  
'3?'magpiestar questioned, confused. mapleflame half walked - half dragged her-self away. in her scrawny shadow, lay two kits. she lay her tail on each in turn. 'this is nightkit' indicating the black one with white paws.' and this is twistkit' indicating the full- black one. magpiestar tilted her head, and the kit moved his paw into the light. it was twisted backwards. she looked at magpiestar, eyes filled with pride, hope, pain and desperation. ' may we join you clan?' she asked. magpiestar hesitated, but one look at the pain and desperation in the she-cats eyes was enough to make up her mind. 'yes.' then, to magpiestar's utter shock, mapleflame collapsed, exhausted. 'thank you' she whispered. then the darkness took her.

Ὠ

The next time mapleflame woke , she was surrounded by the unfamiliar scent of shadowclan and the familiar, yet painful , scent of healing herbs. Her last litter provided lightningclan with a medicine-cat, deeppool. She looked up. Magpiestar was standing in front of her with another cat, a smaller version of leafstar, lightningclans 2nd last leader. Magpiestar lay her tail over small-leafstars back. 'this is dappledlight, our medicine cat. Dappledlight, meet mapleflame.' Dappledlight dipped her head, and mapleflame dipped hers. Dappledlight sounded exited as she started talking- 'wow! Are you from lightningclan? I herd you have tribe names? What's yours? Were you deputy?' her eyes shone. Mapleflames whiskers witched with amusement as she attempted to answer the flood of questions. 'yes, I was the deputy of do have tribe names, every cat does, just, we know ours. mines maple devoured by flames.' Magpiestar sounded apologetic as she spoke to mapleflame. 'sorry for dappledlight's, um, enthusiasm.'

'don't worry about it' mapleflame interrupted. 'our previous medicine cat died before she finished her apprenticeship, so she is still very young.' Mapleflame interrupted magpiestar again. 'I can help her if you want.' Magpiestar was puzzled. ' I thought you were deputy?' mapleflame sagged. 'I was.  One of my previous kits was the lightningclan medicine cat- deeppool. When she learned something, she would tell me.' Magpiestar dipped her head. Mapleflame's eyes widened and she shrank back as a smokey black tom entered the den. Magpiestar's reaction was completely the opposite. she bounded up to him and pressed her face to his. when she came back to mapleflame, she introduced them. 'smokepelt, this is mapleflame. Mapleflame, this is my mate, smokepelt.' They dipped their heads to each other in a silent greeting. Mapleflame got up, but the struggle with hunger, pain and exhaustion won, and he legs crumpled beneath her. Smokepelt rushed over and buoyed her up with his powerful shoulders. 'I think you need to rest' he remarked. mapleflame obediently sank down and curled up. The darkness took her.

Ὠ

Magpiestar looked up. Cloudheart and skyfall were bearing a light-grey body. She rushed towards them. 'skyfall! Cloudheart! Who's that?' their response came in between panting breaths. 'we don't know who she is, but she is probably an elder.' Cloudheart responded. The snowy warrior was shocked and exhausted. Skyfall helped him carry the light grey cat into dappledlight's den and deposit her next to mapleflame. That was the exact moment mapleflame opened her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter2

Mapleflame woke up, but she wasn't certain she did wake up. Fernpelt's light grey body was opposite her. Magpiestar came up to her, proving that it wasn't a dream. 'Do you know this cat?' she questioned. All mapleflame could do was nod. 'Who is she? What clan?'  
Mapleflame blinked. 'Fernpelt. She is from breezeclan. Why?'  
magpiestar was agitated. 'She's dying'  
mapleflame leaped up, and staggered over towards fernpelt 'comfrey and poppy seed. And tulip petals if you can. Crush them in a pulp and feed them to her' mapleflame command. Then she turned, and a new cat burst into the clearing. with a pitch black pelt, and only three paws, there was no doubt who this cat was.

It was nightstalker.  
Ὠ

It was nightstalker. He bounded towards mapleflame, but was tossed back by the huge paws of one of the bears. He was flung across the clearing. He got up, and ran with two bears chasing him. They caught up. His agonised scream had haunted Mapleflames dreams for moons.

And he was here. 'You're dead.' Mapleflame whispered. She stared into his eyes. 'You, you're alive' she whispered. Then it hit her. 'You're alive!' she shrieked. She bounded up to him, pressing her cheek against is flank. His hearty laugh brought back moons of memories, half – forgotten. 'yes I am' he said softly in her ear.

Ὠ

Magpiestar looked up. A black tom was racing towards mapleflame. Magpiestar walked forward, ready to spring on his back, when she saw the soft, loving gaze mapleflame showed the stranger. This "nightstalker" must be her mate. They touched muzzles. Mapleflames injuries caused her legs to crumple, but she still stood. Nightstalker wasn't so lucky. He collapsed, blood streaming from claw- wounds on his flank, so big, they must have been bear- claws. Mapleflame was staring at him, eyes wide, shaking with shock. She looked frozen; horrified by the prospect that he would leave her again. Then she turned to magpiestar. ' Help him' she begged. Magpiestar turned to the nearest cat, mosspaw, and ordered him to get dappledlight. When the young medicine cat arrived, mapleflame was in deep shock. Dappledlight came to her, and gave her some thyme. She shook her head. 'help nightstalker, not me' she begged. Dappledlight saw the black tom on the ground, and raced over towards the medicine store. Only seconds later, willowpaw and mosspaw dashed out towards the forest, presumably to collect moss and cobwebs.  
Magpiestar turned and headed towards the warriors den. 'Skyfall. Take heronwing, snowbird and greypelt on boarder patrol' she went around the camp, glaring at the pitifully small fresh-kill pile. 'Squirrelfur, and acornfoot, get some cats and go hunting. Acornfoot, take Silverpaw. ' Magpiestar walked around, getting more cats. 'Berryfur! Can you take birchfall and two other warriors out hunting? Take an apprentice as well.' Berryfur nodded and went to get blackfire, who left with berryfur, birchfall, sunstrike and lilypaw. Magpiestar was relieved that camp was returning to normal. She walked over to moonshine and vinefoot, who each had a mouse and were talking. She sat.  
Moonshine looked up. 'Ah, magpiestar. Just the cat I wanted to talk to. Vinefoot and I were thinking about ripplepaw, and silverpaw. We think they are ready to become warriors.' Magpiestar nodded. 'I also think quailpaw has found the end of his training.' Moonshine and vinefoot were nodding. 'what's wrong?' she asked moonshine.  
'Well… You just seem…' she paused, trying to find the right word.  
'Distracted.' Vinefoot put in.  
'yes. Distracted. Is there something troubling you?'  
Magpiestar shook her head. 'No. Nothings troubling me. Its just, when me promote these three, we will only have two apprentices left.'  
Vinefoot nodded. 'Maybe it's a good thing the other cans survivors are coming. Maybe some young cats will come?'  
Magpiestar thought. 'Maybe' she echoed.


End file.
